What's a charley horse?

So after my LONG intense workout session yesterday, I found myself sore and fighting with charley horses all night as I lay in bed. Although my friend and I tried to rub away the soreness in my shins and calves, I literally wanted to cry because the charley horses were so excruciating at some points I could not move my foot for fear of agitating my leg muscles. I clearly did not make for a good bed partner yesterday night with my whining about soreness. LOL. Thus, I thought today to research charley horses to understand what they are, and also to see if there are things I could do to prevent them from occurring (or being as awful as last evening). Charley horses, I learned, can be resultant of spasms and cramps, but also to bruising and contusions. Reasons we might experience this type of soreness include hormonal imbalance, dehydration, love levels of potassium or calcium in the blood, medication, or possible disease. Thankfully, this doesn?t happen to me all that often?and the three or so times it has happened it has been post intense, double or triple workouts. Thus, in looking through this laundry list of reasons, I?m guessing dehydration as well as low potassium/calcium as I didn?t drink enough water for a double workout, and wasn?t prepared for a double workout with some sort of sports drink. Suggestions for treatment include icing as well as holding specific body positions?with advice to NOT do static stretches while you?re cramping as it could lead to a tear (good to know!). I?ll admit to thinking that this type of soreness is good for me as then I have a physical feeling of having worked out hard?but seriously, I know that this is only an irrational product of my sleep deprived, cramp suffering state! -June